The Story of the Golden Eyes
by J0ckle
Summary: This a test story I created about a small village in the Land of Rivers. It's a fast-paced story, and I can't give too many details without spoilers. It's a graphic and gory read. It's a test not to be taken seriously.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

The first scream came from Master Gōrudenraion temple, on top of the tallest hill in the quaint town of Raionzuden. I remember because my mother poked her head out the window a looked toward the temple that stood the largest and most magnificent building in the village. She scanned the village, eye looking frantically around, then she jolted back gasped and shut the curtain. It seemed she just saw a demon by the way her skin paled, and her eyes sat empty. She sat agents the straw window, and I could practically see her heart pounding in her chest, that's when the second scream came, but this one was closer to our little cottage at the edge of the village. It snapped her attention back to my younger brother and me.

"Children," she spoke in a hushed but panicked tone. "We must leave." Her eyes changed from panicked to protective, much like a mother lion looks when her kids are in danger. She raced over to the candle that sat on the dinner table that sat in the middle of the cottage at frantically blew out the candles. It sent a dark shadow from the home and sent my younger brother Sota to grasp my arm in fear.

His dark golden eyes stared confused at the same window our mother once looked through. His golden eyes were the prettiest and held the most color in the entire town. Although everyone in town gifted with these eyes, his stood out the most. You could see those eyes in the darkest of rooms, and he could reflect enough light just to light up our dark cottage.

"What's going on?" he asked mother as she grasped his hand.

"Nothing your father can't handle," she said trying to give off a vibe of confidence, but I could almost see a tear stream down her face. "Hurry now boys, we must leave." She jerked us out the back door and a suddenly I could smell the deep thick smoke, and I could see the whole town light up, like the festival of the Gold Main. It almost exactly like the festival, the shooting the lights even the smoke made it seem similar, but the difference was these screams pierced the ear and called for help then one, by one the screams would vanish into the dark forest. The same forest my mother began to drag us to, this worried me; this worried me a lot.

"We must run to the woods and h-…" she stopped mid-sprint, and she began to stare that same worried stare, but her mouth dropped, and she gasped for air as she stood stiff as a board. She shook mildly as of she was paralyzed, but she wasn't because almost instantly her golden eyes shot down towards me and she spoke in the harsh whisper, "Run…Run!" her hand let go of our wrist, and she went flying back towards the village screaming and disappeared into the bushes.

For a second, I jutted for the bushes, but my wrist grabbed by a small soft hand. "She said run, and if we don't run, then she will be mad at us." Sota didn't quite understand that we won't be seeing her for a while, but he did have a point she told us to run and she knew a lot more than I did.

I grabbed Sota by the arm and practically dragged him to the forest, his short little legs were having trouble keeping up. We ran for an extensive amount of time, my lungs burnt and I felt like I could almost taste blood in my mouth. Sota began to whine, "I can't run anymore! My chest and my side hurt!" He wailed. His loud and obnoxious wailing was going to get us caught, and I knew of no other way to keep his mouth shut then just to let him get his way. We stopped running, and I surveyed the surrounding area, we were close to the dirt road, and I could hear loud laughing and I could hear a small group of men around fifteen walking the road. Currently, no one was a beautiful person, so I pushed Sota into a large bush, and I followed swiftly behind.

"Hey don't-." I covered his mouth and watched as the men walked away from the village. These men wore gray armor and carried large swords, but no banners to identify them. They laugh as she boasts about their victory on the Raionzuden and how one of them name Auto was a brilliant artist. It infuriated young mind and almost sent me into an empty rage, but a small soft hand tugged my shirt and said, "Who are those people?" I looked down at those deep gold eyes and just hug him tightly, one to cover his mouth and two because it's the second time he's saved me.

The men passed, but I waited; I waited all night till I felt safe. Sota fell asleep on my shoulder, but I didn't sleep, I didn't even blink. The night was cold, but the Bush became a crappy insulated tent that kept us relatively warm. I could smell the smoke creeping from our village I tickled my nose and made me cough a bit. For the first time, I was genuinely scared, for my brother and my family.

Day broke through the trees and heated my cheek. I now felt safe, safe enough to shake my brother awake and crawl out of the bush. I could still faintly smell the smoke, and my curious mind began to walk towards the village. I found myself walking down the dirt road, my younger brother grasping on my shirt sleeve. The bushes around begin to rustle, and Sota hands gripped harder. "Haruto?" Sota spoke under his breath, "Look." I stopped and turned around to see young kids with golden eyes creep out of the bushes. Some were cover in ash other in blood.

"Haruto!" a familiar voice broke from the small group of kids. I turned around to see my best friend, Renato pushing his way through the crowd of sad broken children. Renato was taller than I, and he was the nice one of the two of us. I was surprised to see him alive. "I can't believe it you!" he pushed through the group and grasped by the shoulders. He always been the nicest kid in the village and he had always filled with unintentional humor and kindness.

"Are you guys ok?" he scanned my mud cover body.

"I'm all right," I replied. He smiled then turned around and faced the group then back to me. "It looks like we are all going the same way you are, mind if we join?" Reno asked. I jester towards the village and we began to walk.

To this day, I call that turn "The Broken Leg" because of the silent whimpering of children filling their thoughts with the worst possible thoughts. Some too young to realize what was going on other old enough to prepare themselves for the worst. I was one of the oldest boys in the group, and I still couldn't prepare myself from the nightmare that lived head.

The smoke increased and along with it a rotten burnt stench that burned my lungs. The closer we walked more visible the village became; littering the cobble streets were dead farm animals and still some fires that haven't put themselves out yet, but there was something new in the middle of the village something large and something that a strong stench slithered out of and made its way rotting our lungs.

We stood and stared at the art that stood in the center of the village. The body's stacked on top of each other to form a rectangular tower. Arrows pinned the bodies together, and precise placement made it, so they didn't fall. There burnt gray corpses were already rotting, and the fly's swarmed, making an unpleasant buzzing, but the disturbing thing was that every single eye of carved out of the skulls.

"We need to leave!" a young girl choked back tears. Then the whole group begins to agree, but I was stuck in a trance staring at the demon art that was placed in the middle of this once peaceful town. I would have stared at that tower until it, or I fell to the ground. I felt a tug on my sleeve, and that was enough to break the trance.

"Can we please leave Haruto?" Sota asked tears filling his eyes. I looked down at those golden eyes and nodded my head.


	2. Chapter 2

I didn't know where to go; I've never left the borders of the village. I was only twelve years old, and I now lead what left of the Raionzuden village. The only thing I knew of the world outside of the village is that if you follow a road that it will lead you to a larger village maybe even a town that thrived with people that could help or maybe just give us a place to rest and feel safe again.

"Haruto!" Renato shoved and pointed head, "There someone walking downs the road!" We were young, and we weren't fighters. I only counted eight of us, five boys and three girls and none have combat training, but we were good a hide and sought.

I whip around and address the group hastily, "Quickly hide in the woods!" without question the pack of children jumped into the bushes and climbed the trees. I grabbed Sota by the wrist and swiftly raced up a tree on perched Sota and me on a large branch covered with thick green leaves.

I was the oldest, and it was my obligation to protect the younger cubs. I broke a long dead stem from the branch of the tall oak tree and grasped it like a sword. It may not kill the path walker, but it might give the children enough time to escape.

The path walker approached, he whistled happily, and sometimes he changed the tone to a humming. He didn't seem to be a threat, but for the sake of my family and my friends I wasn't going to say he wasn't a threat.

He carried a large woven bag filled with sticks and wheat, and he walked with a cane. The closer he got the more visible he became. I could see a long grey beard that almost scraped the ground and that he walks with a curve in his back, but one this changed my whole point of this man. Under his straw hat, I could see the golden eyes that could warm the cold hearts of any man, woman or child. Without a second thought, I leaped from the branch and led right in front of him, blocking his path.

"Bandits!" he yelled overproducing the "s". He swung his walking stick like a hammer bringing it down to strike me on the head.

"No, wait!" I yelled placing my head down crossing my arms above my head to absorb the blow, but I never felt the shock. I lifted m head and looked up to see the sick stopped right before it reached my arms. The old man sat and stared at me with his golden eyes that you could barely see through his squinted eyes.

"You can't tell me to wait, you're a bandit!" he pulled his stick back to his chest. The he led into an uncomfortably close and squinted even more. "You're a little young to be a bandit." He enlarged one eye and scanned me. "Wait a minute…You're a Raionzuden!" he jumped back with relief "Few, I thought I was under attacked!" he laughed.

"What are you doing out here young cub?" he asked.

I sat there staring at the ground for a second tear slowly filling my eyes. I sniffed then looked up at the old man. "We have nowhere else to go…" I motioned the children to show themselves. They crept out of the bushes and jumped out of the trees.

"Bandits!" he screamed again over overproducing the "s."

"No, the not bandit's just children," I shouted trying to gain his focus.

"Oh good, I thought I was under attack." He put his weight on the walking stick then scanned the children. "You bunch look like you've been through hell this past day…Let's take you home now" he began to walk towards the village.

"We can't go home" I spoke harshly

"Whys not?" he was confused

"We don't have a home anymore." I began to tear up.

"Belief me boy, whatever you children did your family will forgive." He smiled

"You don't get it. There is no home; it's burnt to the ground our families are stacked on top of each other in the middle of the village with their eyes carved from their head!" I began to shout. "We are the only survivors!" I fell to my knees and sobbed. The old man's face was no longer smiling; it was more of a confusion.

"Do you see those smoke clouds in the sky…its not a bonfire" I pointed. The old man was speechless for a long time just staring at the black ash clouds in the sky.

He cleared his throat "I have a farm about three miles up from here…You children can stay with me. It's safe, and there's enough room for all of you." He knelt down and got face to face with me. "The names Ren." He stuck his hand out.

I stared at his hard for a second then grasped it. He pulled me up to my feet and dusted me off. He addressed the group, "Come on everyone!" then he flipped around and started walking down the path back the way he came.

Renato placed his hand on my shoulder. "Can we trust him?"

I stared at the man as he walked down the road. "Spread the word, if I say "run" everyone scrambles to the woods and hides until you or I come to get them." Renato nodded and began to whisper into each of the children's ears.


End file.
